Dead Ahead
Dead Ahead is the 11th scene in ''Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number'' and the second level in which Manny Pardo is playable. It is the first level to feature Colombians. It takes place on December 10, 1991. Scene Intro The player takes control of Manny Pardo as he walks up to the door of a house and bangs on it. The player then shifts control to a girl taking a bath inside who walks out to the door and asks who it is. Pardo says its the police and she says she needs to get dressed. In her bedroom, she kicks a Swan outfit under her bed, revealing her to be Alex, who was taking a bath after Into the Pit. The front door has sopping wet shoes from the sewers in Into the Pit, and there's a band poster on the floor. The living room contains a large media set up with a blanketed black chair and corner couch with a TV dinner tray (same sprite as the military dinner tray seen on the campfire log in the intro to Beard's levels). On the floor by the corner couch is a wine bottle, and a bong rests on top of the TV system. The bedroom features a single twin-sized bed, a phone rig on a nightstand, and two tables: one with a pizza covered keyboard and the other with books and floppies and a stereo system. In the large walk-in closet there's several band shirts and marijuana plants. The kitchen contains an empty pizza box and a newspaper open to a police confirmation of the masked killers apparent return and can be read by either Alex or Manny Pardo. As Alex dresses, a flash of white has Manny Pardo enter her house without permission, now being in her kitchen with the newspaper, planting a wallet behind the counter. Alex asks how he got in here, and he replies the door wasn't locked so he let himself in and that he hopes she doesn't mind, causing her to pause before asking why he's here. He asks where Ash Davis is as this is listed as his address, and she replies she doesn't know and that he doesn't live here anymore before again pausing and asking if there's anything else. He asks her to have him contact the Miami PD when she sees him, he pauses before awkwardly trying to comfort her by saying "You're his sister, aren't you? I can see you got the good genes. You're very pretty." Alex asks him to leave. Pardo complies and (eventually) drives to Port Boulevard where he assaults a Colombian owned ship. Gameplay This scene has 5 stages and contains Colombian mobsters, Dogs and Thugs, it is also the first level to feature the FAMAE and the Mendoza. This level also contains many sections where mobsters could shoot the player from behind glass. Normal: Stage 1: Pardo boards the boat and is immediately attacked by three melee enemies. Five meandering melee enemies walk around the cargo containers, and five barricaded machine gunners will spray Pardo if he doesn't stay behind cover. Stage 2: Pardo likely has a machine gun required to take out the encamped screen 1 gunners. The cargo container section has no cover and several melee enemies. The bridge contains a large amount of windows, two patrolling enemies with guns and a bouncer. In one back corner, two melee and two gun enemies are patrolling, and in the opposite corner one machine gunner and another bouncer are patrolling. Stage 3: In the living quarters, Pardo counters several enemies with guns as well as Dogs. The small rooms of this floor all have windowed walls, and the kitchen has a patrolling gunman and bouncer. Stage 4: Cocaine smuggling, cargo holding and laundry room. The two windowed rooms near where he enters are widely spaced and have one gunman each. Firing bullets will cause enemies in the stage's engorged center to run out at Pardo. The top of the screen has several wider laundry rooms with little maneuverability, but the windows allow Pardo to kill ranged enemies off from a safe distance. Stage 5: Engine room and more living quarters. The screen has a high chance of Pardo immediately getting rushed by a melee enemy. Several enemies are stationed in the engines but only one gun enemy actually moves before they are alerted by gunshots. The living quarters is patrolled by a thug and several armed enemies and the recreation table room is patrolled by more enemies and a Dog. The back rooms have two gun enemies and several melee enemies. The separation between the engines and the living quarters is largely windows, allowing Pardo to take potshots into upon immediately entering. Hard: Stage 1: Stage now has 2 wandering random gunmen among the upper / middle cargo containers and a Dodger by the lower two encamped gunmen. Random gunmen can be dealt with in varying ways, and if one is carrying a shotgun it can be immensely useful to taking out up to 3 of the encamped gunmen; spooking them is simple but if one strays too close to the container entrance the player will have to throw their weapon at him to avoid being shot. After the wanderers are dealt with (or before, at the risk of getting flanked) the player should head the lower route to the FAMAE near the encamped gunmen and trade in their likely-melee weapon for the FAMAE. Peaking out of the cargo container should spook the Dodger and allow the player to kill 2-3 encamped gunmen. Staying in the dodger's line of sight as the player backtracks to their melee weapon is necessary to maintain a combo. Once the dodger is down, rush to the killed encamped enemies and grab a FAMAE, quickly using it to kill the remaining encamped enemies and random gunmen before grabbing a fresh FAMAE (if necessary) and continuing to the next screen. Stage 2: Two encamped gunmen are located on the bridge and will immediately open fire. Strafe to kill them with the FAMAE while also attempting to kill the Thug and patrolling gunman behind them on the bridge. There are several melee enemies to dodge while doing this, and if the bridge patrolling gunman hasn't been killed it's almost a requirement to stick to the lower part of the screen while dispatching the melee enemies. By the time the player's opening moves are finished another patrolling gunman followed shortly by a Thug should be spookable on the lower half of the screen. Lure the gunman behind cover and kill him, then use his gun to kill the thug. Using any weapon, kill the patrolling melee enemies and the lower static gunmen. Firing from behind the lower static gunman's wall should allow the player to kill the upper patrolling thug and gunman, as well as the upper static gunman. Picking up a gun, head to the upper floor transition. Stage 3: Entering from the upper transition, spook the lower half of the screen's patrolling Thug and gunman with gunfire if possible. If the player doesn't have a weapon, they should enter the small room with two patrolling gunmen and take one of theirs (it isn't practical to spook the lower half of the screen from this position, but it's possible the patrolling Thug and gunman from the lower half will rush up if the player isn't careful). Two enemies in a nearby media room will be spooked by the sound of gunfire, and the spooked lower-half patrol will rush down the hall. The player should have ample supply of guns to kill all of them, and can now pick up another gun and deal with one or two dogs, two static gunmen by glass windows, and a patrolling Thug and gunman in the kitchen. There are also several melee enemies in the lower right hand corner of the screen, and a static melee enemy in the bathroom. Linking a combo through this is tricky but possible. It's preferable to have a silenced pistol or melee weapon at the start of the next screen, but not necessary. Stage 4: The map is now flipped to provide very little cover. The center now houses 2 tightly packed pairs of Thugs patrolling, making loud weapons fire immediately upon entering almost certainly fatal. Silently take down the two melee enemies (if the player has a loud weapon, sacrifice half its ammo to throw it and pick it up later) and spook the next room's gunmen, preferably into or near the small crack between the rooms. Some enemies from the center may get drawn, but from the crack now-surrounded by dropped firearms it's much easier to deal with them. From this position it's possible to poke out and clear the entire center and also most of the other glass room gunmen. There should only be the top right hand patrolling melee enemies and the two small glass room gunman patrols, all of which are straightforward to deal with. It's preferable to take a machine gun to the next screen. Stage 5: Preferably using a machine gun, work lower on the map toward the engines while firing at enemies in patrolling the glass-heavy recreational center. Dealing with the engine enemies is fairly straightforward, at which point the player can grab a firearm and move into the wooden rectangle room and spook most if not all the remaining enemies through a tight doorway. Picking off any stragglers ends the level. Outro After clearing the ship of Colombians, Manny Pardo leaves the ship to find that the police has arrived and apprehended the remaining mobsters. A police officer tells Pardo he should wait for back up in these situations, and Pardo tells him it isn't his fault they took so long to get here. The officer tells Manny he was reckless and endangered the operation, but Pardo retorts with, "Operation? Give me a break... If you don't like it, go complain to the chief. I'm outta here!", and leaves. The crime scene features another Miami Mutilator victim, this one eviscerated postmortem after being strangled. Johnson mentions that the message is mundane as ever: "Please don't make me do it again," but comments that "at least he got a bit creative with the victim." Pardo postulates that he was upset the papers haven't made a bigger deal of him, saying scumbags crave attention. "Don't we all, huh?" Johnson says, before commenting that Pardo will be getting plenty when this gets out, wondering if he can stand the pressure. Johnson mention the "kid's" wallet is missing unlike other victims, but that someone else might have done it. Music "Interlude" by Chromacle plays in the intro to the level at Alex's house. "Bloodline" by Scattle plays during the level. Dialogue Alex's Condo Pardo bangs on Alex's door. Alex is in a bath towel in the bathroom and goes to answer. Alex: Who is it? Pardo: It's the police. Open the door. Alex: Just a second. I gotta put on some clothes, OK? hides her Swan gear and outfit under her bed and dresses. Manny uses this opportunity to let himself in and can be seen planting a wallet in the kitchen. Alex: How did you get in here? Pardo: The door wasn't locked. I let myself in. I hope you don't mind. Alex: ... Well, what do you want? Pardo: I'm looking for an 'Ash Davis'. This is listed as his last known address. Alex: Well, as you can see, he's not here. I don't know where he is. He doesn't live here anymore. ... Was there anything else? Pardo: Will you tell him to contact the Miami PD next time you see him? ... You're his sister, aren't you? I can see you got the good genes. You're very pretty. Alex: If there was nothing else, I would like for you to leave. exits the condo and returns to his car. Main Level Manny clears out the ship, he's met with a policeman who has arrested some stragglers fished out of the water. Police: There you are. You know, you should really wait for back up in these situations. Pardo: It's not my fault you guys took so long to get here, is it? I got here first, you got a problem with that? Police: What you did was reckless, and you know that. Your actions endangered this whole operation! Pardo: 'Operation'? Give me a break... If you don't like it, go complain to the Chief. I'm outta here! returns to his car Miami Mutilator Crime Scene arrives at a maintenance building with a CSI investigator vomiting outside. Inside is a mutilated corpse and Johnson. Pardo: Let me guess... our serial killer has been at it again? Johnson: What gave it away? ... He left another message for us, mundane as ever. 'Please don't make me do it again.' ... Well, at least he got a bit creative with the victim. Poor kid. Pardo: Maybe he was upset that the papers haven't made a bigger deal of him. These scumbags seem to crave attention... Johnson: Don't we all, huh? You might be getting your fair share once this gets out. Think you can handle the pressure? All eyes will be on you now. Pardo: I'm sure this guy will slip up sooner or later. ... Speaking of which, what have you got for me? Any findings? Johnson: Not much, no murder weapon and no witnesses. An electrician found him like this. He must have been taken here by force. Found cuff marks around his wrists and ankles. Death by strangulation. The killer gutted him post mortem, thank God. Pardo: Anything else? Johnson: Yeah, seems like the killer may have robbed him, unlike previous victims. Couldn't find the kid's wallet. ... Who knows, might have been someone else. People have no morals these days. We'll have to run his prints and see if we can identify him. Pardo: Alright. Good job, Johnson. I'm gonna head back to the office, been a rough night. Johnson: Okay, sir. I'll let you know if we find anything else. returns to his car. Trivia * With a total of five stages this is the longest level in the series, surpassing Hot & Heavy from the previous game, which had four. * If Manny's car trunk is checked during the intro, it reveals a handcuffed and gagged man. The man is later found killed by the Miami Mutilator and missing his wallet, hinting Pardo was trying to frame Ash Davis for the killings. * After Alex puts on her clothes but before she talks to Manny in her kitchen, she can also walk outside and open Manny's trunk to find his victim. * Due to the level's length, amount of enemies and sections with a large amount of glass, this level is often considered very difficult among some players, especially on hard mode. ** This level allows the highest possible combos in the series, normal mode allowing a massive 90x. (shown to the right) ** Hard Mode allows a 95x, but linking Stages 3 and 4 is tricky as the bathroom enemy is on the opposite side of the screen from the floor transition. * This scene bears a slight resemblance to the Grand Theft Auto IV mission A Dish Served Cold, particularly in which the main protagonist/player character attacks a fully protected cargo ship alone. * If you choose to play the intro or continue from the previous scene, then this is the only time Alex is playable without either the other Fans or Ash making an appearance with her. This is also one of four times (the others being in Ambush, Death Wish and in The Bar of Broken Heroes) in which Alex is seen without her mask. Bugs * For a time there was a bug on the PS3 version, where the enemies would not move. * A bug would occur where if you executed a Colombian with a shotgun or a Mendoza, the Colombian's corpse would turn into a gang member. However, this bug has since been fixed. Category:Chapter Category:Hotline Miami 2 scenes Category:Articles needing images Category:Manny Pardo scenes